The kingdom is not you in heaven, but heaven in you. The Lord Jesus taught, “…indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21).
A great error in a saint is in thinking the kingdom of God is a future event and not a present reality. Before you enter the kingdom, the kingdom enters you. The kingdom is not somewhere you go, but the way in which you live.
The kingdom of God is not somewhere else, but in you. It is when you submit to the Lord Christ your King that your life becomes His kingdom. Jesus taught, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21).
Kingdom living:
Kingdom success is not measured by how many you reach, but by your obedience to do what you are told. Even the pagans will answer a call to greatness, but a man of God will answer a call to obscurity. “Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, ‘Arise and go…’ …So he arose and went…” (Acts 8:26-27).
The most powerful saints in the kingdom are those empty enough to be filled of God.
In the kingdom, the only thing you can do by your own natural power is to hinder all that the Lord might do in your life.
When God gives you a calling that makes no sense to the world, it is then you are walking on kingdom principles.
Many in the faith will talk of the power of God, but those living a kingdom life will walk in it. “For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power” (1 Corinthians 4:20).
So long as you care two cents on what man thinks of you, God can’t do very much in your life. The more popular you try to be with man, the further you must become from God.
“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world…'” (John 18:36). The more you fit in here, the less you do there. Stop measuring kingdom success by man’s ruler, God uses a different measuring stick.
Obedience will open doors for you, but disobedience will slam them shut. If you want to be something more in the kingdom, you must be more obedient.
An immature faith only wants God to please them in their life, but a kingdom faith wants a life that is pleasing unto God.
If you don’t know your calling, then just serve alongside somebody who does. Doing nothing for the kingdom serves the Devil. “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (Hebrews 12:28).
Kingdom versus the world:
Nothing hinders kingdom purposes more than worldly pursuits.
You cannot be in the world and living for the kingdom, they are going in opposite directions.
The secret to gaining a greater role in the kingdom is by taking a lesser role in the world. To become whole, you must be broken. To become filled, you must be poured out. “And He [the Lord Jesus] sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all’” (Mark 9:35).
It is not what we have that defines us, but what we seek. The world believes your possessions tell your story. But in the kingdom, the life you live is the story you tell. Live for things, and die a pauper. Live for Christ, and gain the kingdom.
In the world there is scarcity, everyone trying to take more than the other. In the kingdom there is abundance, each one having more than they need. “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).
In the world it is all about what we can grab hold of. In the kingdom it is all about what we can let go of.
When the world comes against you, this is often when the kingdom is trying to work through you.
When it makes no sense to the world, this is a good sign that it makes sense in the kingdom.
The success of your ministry is never determined by the applause of man, but by the approval of God. “Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator” (1 Peter 4:19). Kingdom success is always measured by the intentions of God.
If you think you are not successful in what you are doing, consider Christ on the Cross.
Kingdom success is never measured by the world, but by being in His will. Don’t seek the popular life, but the kingdom life.
Blessings to you,
Paul